Stand-Down for What?

Updated injury and incident reports from OSHA

From Jan 1 to Dec 31, 2014 there were 5589 ladder incidents reported that have resulted in injury and even death according to OSHA. 14 incidents additionally reported for ladder hooks, 90 more for ladder jack scaffold and another 8840 incidents including death under fall protection. These numbers really just scratch the surface. There are many incidents that appear under other categories that involve ladders and falls. Fall incidents within the past month are presented in the table below. More information is available on OSHA’s website (http://www.osha.gov).

Source: https://www.osha.gov/dep/fatcat/dep_fatcat.html

Stand-down: Awareness and fall prevention

OSHA once again is holding the National Safety Stand-Down. This program is to help bring awareness to fall hazards in hopes to prevent injury and fatalities from such occurrences. According to statistics from OSHA, “Falls” are the number one cause of death in the construction industry. The “Fatal Four” listed by OSHA states that 294 out of 796 total deaths in construction in 2013 were due to falls. That is at a rate of almost 40%. Due to these alarming statistics OSHA and its partners have seen the need to bring light to this subject. OSHA has been partnering with such groups as the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH), the National Occupational Research Agenda (NORA), OSHA approved State Plans, State consultation programs, the Center for Construction Research and Training (CPWR), the American Society of Safety Engineers (ASSE), the National Safety Council, the National Construction Safety Executives (NCSE), the U.S. Air Force, and the OSHA Training Institute (OTI) Education Centers in attempts to reach out to employers and employees in industry.

Last year the National Safety Stand-Down was well received, reporting 5000 stand-downs in all 50 states that reached approximately 1 million workers. This initiative is reinforced thorough 3 steps laid out by OSHA.  First, plan ahead to get the job done safely. Second, provide the right equipment. Third, train everyone to use equipment safely.

OSHA recently reported that the 2^nd annual National Safety Stand-Down will be held during May 4-15, 2015. During that time companies are invited to join in this initiative to bring awareness to their employees in regards to fall prevention. This can be done a multitude of ways.  Anyone who wants to participate can hold tool box talks, equipment inspections, training/retraining’s, job specific hazard overviews, review of near miss incidents, review of rescue plans and so on. OSHA‘s goal for this awareness program is to prevent death and send everyone home safely at the end of their shift. They are hopeful to reach 2 million more workers than last year. Are you going to be reachable? How will you participate? How many falls can you prevent today?

Free Resources from OSHA

There are many resources available to help you should you choose to participate. At this link you can find printed materials for download such as posters, fact sheets, guidance brochures, training material and videos. So I ask you again. Stand-Down for What?

Your Life!

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